EMFT ends in disappointment for GB

London Maccabi Lions striker James Gold equalised before a defensive error saw the locals gifted a winner.
GB made several substitutions in the second half GB but were unable to score again.

France were GB's opponents in the second game of the day, and having seen them play in the morning no-one was underestimating the task in hand.

GB suffered a big blow in the warm-up - losing Norstar's Jonny Kay from central midfield, but were still confident of getting their campaign back on track.

France scored first in a half where GB were forced to sit back and absorb the pressure. The French team's combination of strength, power and flair was opening up GB's defence but a superb display from SPEC's Ricky Lawrence helped keep the score at 1-0 at half-time.

Norstar's Eli Houri was brought on at half-time and immediately started driving at the France defence and his efforts won a penalty which was converted by Lawrence.

GB hearts were broken in the closing stages as France clinched the points late on following a stunning solo effort that flew past Doffman in the GB goal.

With victory no longer possible, the game against Germany was a chance to get some points on the board, whilst the German's sought some revenge after most of their players were defeated in Vienna against the British team at last year's European Maccabi Games.

The German's technical ability and organisation smacked of a team who had played together many times before but Great Britain coped admirably and battled bravely, with Lawrence and Doffman again coming to the rescue although the rest of the team were putting in an outstanding shift.

Brixton's Rob Blackman and North London Raiders' Michael Israel were trying to pull some strings in midfield and worked hard to move the ball and release the wealth of attacking talent that GB had at their disposal.

Germany broke the deadlock with 15 minutes to go following a fine double-save from Doffman as the German striker converted what turned out to be the only goal of the game.

GB manager Phil Peters was full of admiration for the way the boys came out fighting.

He said: "Coming home without the trophy and with three defeats is obviously very disappointing, but the way the squad performed against some of the finest talent in European Jewish football is something to be immensely proud of.

"Germany and France came second and third respectively at the EMG last summer and only Team GB outperformed them. This was their preparation for Israel next year and we pushed them all the way.

"Jamie and I were delighted when we won gold in Torremolinos two years ago, but this has been a really valuable experience for us and the players.

“The three teams we played this year were all fitter, stronger and technically better than anything we faced in Spain and we did fantastically well which is a credit to the players and shows the tremendous strength in depth of Jewish football in Great Britain.

"With 14-months to go before the Maccabiah Games there's certainly an argument to be had for using the EMFT as an opportunity to try out some of the boys that the management are interested in taking to Israel. That said, the trophy has also given a chance to some of those who might not otherwise have had one and this is absolutely priceless in terms of embracing the spirit of Maccabi sport."

GB squad:
Back row (right-to-left): Phil Peters, Jonny Kay, Eli Houri, Ricky Lawrence, Jeff Gotch, Jake Doffman, Dan Tannenbaum, Anthony Goodmaker, Ben Weinberg, Rob Blackman, Jamie Slavin
Front row: Jerome Marks, Michael Israel, James Gold, Jordan Grant, Lewis Blitz, Ben Sheldon, Josh Green